The Legend of the Great Empress

Chapter 10: Prince Juan's Story Part 2

Upon Prince Juan's arrival to the western kingdom's capital, he was immediately greeted by an atmosphere completely different from what he was familiar with back home. Contrary to what he expected, the land of the west turned out to be a very derelict place. Everywhere he turned, Prince Juan saw nothing but drug users, prostitutes, and beggars of all ages. And the fact that a lot of the people who were just standing along street corners and alleyways were just staring at him made him all the more uncomfortable. Therefore, he resolved to start walking a little more quickly until he could find some suitable lodging for the duration of his stay, all the while wondering what kind of ruler the west had for it to look as ghetto as it did.

"Maybe it's only the capital that looks like this," thought Prince Juan.

Eventually, he arrived at what looked like a row of motels, but he didn't know which one to choose. He preferred one that was safe, where he could sleep soundly, and where it wasn't likely that his room would get broken into with his belongings stolen. So, he asked a nearby man to recommend one of the motels to him.

"Oh I dunno. I'd just get whatever room and call it a night," the man said before walking off.

After sighing to himself, Prince Juan decided to just pick a random motel and hope and pray that it was a decent place to stay.

As he was walking towards the motel he chose, a girl who was standing near the entrance approached him.

"Excuse me," she began, "do you have any extra change or anything? I'm trying to get a room to stay in tonight, but I don't have enough money. I have nowhere else to go."

Upon looking at her, Prince Juan immediately felt sorry for her.

"Of course I do," he said, "But where is your family?"

Suddenly, the girl started crying, making Prince Juan unsure of what to do until she spoke.

"I don't have anyone to go home to," she began, "I walk the streets every day, just trying to scrape up enough money for food and somewhere safe to stay. I had a fight with the last person I was staying with, and he kicked me out. I don't know what else to do."

The girl continued to cry until Prince Juan was able to comfort her a little and assure her that he would purchase a room for her to stay in for the night.

"C-Can I just stay in the same room as you?" the girl asked, "Please? I...haven't been feeling safe the last few days. I'm afraid if I stay in a room by myself, someone could try to enter my room and harass me. Please? Let me stay with you?"

The sudden request caught Prince Juan off guard, but after a bit more prodding from the girl, he eventually agreed to let her share a room with him. He would just purchase one with two beds.

"Thank you so much," she said.

Upon entering the lobby, Prince Juan was relieved that it was actually decent looking compared to how the building looked from the outside. Once he paid for his room and received his key, Prince Juan felt a little more confident about his choice of lodging, especially now that he's given himself the task of keeping someone else safe.

When the prince opened the door to their room, he was a bit surprised by how small, yet cozy the room looked. It consisted of two queen sized beds with a nightstand in the middle, a desk, a mini kitchen, and a small bathroom. It was a little different from what he was used to, but he knew he would like staying there all the same.

"Alright," began Prince Juan, "You can choose which bed you would like and make yourself comfortable, miss. I'll go and put some of my things away."

The girl chose the bed closest to the entrance to the room, while Prince Juan went to the other one. As the prince began putting some of his things away, the girl started to speak to him.